Two of today’s Download Discounts are games: one, called Jelly Roll contains an animal encased in some kind of weird Jell-O; the other lets you control a giant, monstrous worm that rises from the depths of the earth only to devour animals and people. Both sides of the spectrum are represented, with a cute desert-themed puzzler on one side, and a more action-packed worm-feeding game on the other. The good news is you don’t have to choose between the both cute Jell-O penguin and disgusting evil worm monster — both are free.
Death Worm (iPhone, iPad) Free (was $0.99)
Become a subterranean eating machine like those found in the movie Tremors in Death Worm, in which you control a worm that must endlessly consume every living thing it can in order to survive and evolve. The more you eat, the further you advance your worm’s growth, speed and special abilities — but the bigger threat you become to the humans on the surface, the more effort they throw into attempting to eradicate you.
Using a virtual joystick, you steer your always-in-motion worm around a desert floor, driving it up to the surface to jump clear of the sand and devour humans, animals, helicopters, soldiers — whatever. Death Worm has some fairly impressive graphics to boot, and includes leaderboards and achievements through Game Center.
Jelly Roll (iPhone) Free (was $1.99)
You probably didn’t know you needed an game with a cute penguin protagonist. Guess what: you do, and here it is, free of charge.
In this puzzle-platformer, you’re controlling a penguin who has somehow been encased in orange Jell-O, then mercilessly dropped on a grid platform with no railings around the edges. Using either touch or tilt controls, you need to guide the penguin and his rectangular Jell-O mold to each level’s exit in as few moves as possible. When you move, the penguin pushes the mold over, so every other step can have you either standing vertically or lying horizontally. Puzzles get tricky as the game works in other elements and challenges you to make it to the end not only in as few steps as you can, but while ending up with the right orientation when you arrive.
The Parking (iPhone) Free (was $1.99)
Finding parking can be a hassle, especially in a big city, which is why it’s nice to have The Parking — especially for free. You can snag the app now, without having to pay anything.
The Parking searches the area around you using your iPhone’s GPS system to find all your parking options — lots, metered spaces, free zones and so on — to help you zero-in on a spot without having to drive around in circles. Once you’ve narrowed down where you need to go, The Parking will figure out the fee of wherever you decide to leave your car, and start a timer so you can make sure you get back in time to feed a meter or avoid getting towed. The app also keeps track of where you parked, which is, without sarcasm, one of the most useful functions imaginable for an iPhone app.
